Volume 1, Issue 1

www.friendsofobtennis.blogspot.com
PO Box 454
Orange Beach, AL 36561
friendsobtennis@gmail.com

THE RALLY
Match Points: Shade Coming Soon to Orange
• FOBT Projects/Events
Beach Tennis Center
• Player Spotlights
Friends of Orange Beach Tennis
• Pro Tip
first project was to have Canopies
• Tournament Lists installed over the current benches
between the courts. As of today,
• Local League we have successfully completed
this goal. You will find the first
• Member Listing canopy installed between courts 1
• Member Birthdays &2.
Industrial Valve is fabricating the
• Coupon & Raffle metal frames that will be perma-
nently installed over the benches.
The blue weave canopy will be Canopy installed between court 1 & 2.
Become a Member of installed with the capability of be-
ing removed in case of a hurri- Thank you to the following sponsors:
the Friends of Orange Industrial Valve, Casa Designs LLC,
Beach Tennis. cane.
Three Palms Realty---Anita Elisar, Dr.
Contact a Board Member Sponsor names will be displayed
Dean Mason- The Orthopedic Group
or email us for an annual for 2 years on a metal sign lo-
PC, Island Drugs & Gifts in Gulf
membership application. cated on the benches. Shores, Tacky Jacks, Vision Bank
$30 Individual and Cobalt Restaurant.
$40 Family (4 max)

Crawfish Boil was spicy!

Each applicant receives a
colorful FOBT Bag Tag.

The first kickoff event of the or- Thank you to the tennis commu-
Friends of Orange Beach
ganization was a Crawfish Boil nity and their families that came
Board Members: held at Happy Harbor off Marina out to support the first fundraising
Bart Middleton
Road in Orange Beach. Approxi- event.
Rose Townsend
Beverly Billingsley mately 100 people attended.
Jimmy Steeley Thank you to friends of Jon & Rose
Heather Moore Townsend came from Mandeville
Michelle Shivers LA with 300 lbs of crawfish to boil.
John Stever

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 PAGE 2 THE RALLY

Friends of Orange Women’s Player Spotlight: Carol Adams

Beach Tennis
Members: Our women’s player of the quarter is She takes lessons from various teach-
Carrie Brabner Carol Adams. She retired in 1994 ing pros in the area. She currently
Jenny Scully and moved to our area from Birming- plays on Flight 8 (GPTL) in Orange
Al Peck & Family ham with her husband of 33 years, Beach and is having a great time doing
Phyllis Peck Frank. In the past she it. She believes that you
Linda Bohannon has been involved with don’t have to be the
Jimmy Steeley various volunteer or- best player out there to
Rose Townsend ganizations such as The have fun. She also be-
Charles & Judy Tibbs Friends of the Library, lieves that this is one of
Dave Lewis & Family The Investment Club the happiest, friendliest
Steve Baker and The Garden Club. places on Earth. She is
Dave Brown One day she decided very thankful for the
Barbara Ybarra & Family
that was not enough hard work of Rhett and
Charlene Allison and decided to take up D.D. and the beautiful
Laura Elliott the game of tennis. facility that we are so
Monica Davidson She began taking les- fortunate to call our
sons and played on a own.
Diane Duffie
Kelli Billups team on Ono Island. Carol Adams
Beverly Billingsley
Lisa Alonzo McFatter
John Stever
It is Hot this Summer.
Bart & Lainey Middleton &
Family Hydrate your body by
Rhonda Brantley
Cynthia Cleverdon drinking plenty of liquids
Misty & Tim Payne, Family
before going out to play
Christie Watford-Shannon
& Family tennis or other sports.
Jennifer & McGee Scar-
brough & Family
Traci & Dean Mason &
Family
Perry and Doug Benton
Junior Player Spotlight: Josh Martin
Our junior player of the quarter is in May. He made it to the Semifinals.
Joshua Martin. He is the son of The top 8 boys and girls from the state
James and Johanna Martin. Joshua will advance to the Southern Boys and
UPCOMING Leagues: is 13 years old and just fin- Girls 14 Closed Championships. We
ished the 7th grade at Grace wish Joshua lots of luck! As for
• USTA Mixed League Christian Academy. He Joshua’s biggest win, it came in
started playing tennis when the Alabama State Boys 12
• USTA Combo League was 9 years old and was closed tournament last year.
proud to say that his dad was When Joshua is off the court he
• GPTL (day league) his first coach. He is now enjoys playing the guitar and
playing out of Peninsula on listening to old albums. His
If you are interested in the Tournament Players
playing on a team or being favorite group is Led Zeppe-
Group, and is coached by
captain, contact us for more Eph Walker. At the time of Josh Martin lin. He also enjoys eating
information. the interview, Josh was Mexican food with his family.
preparing for a tournament

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VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 PAGE 3

Men’s Player Spotlight: Jim Willis Friends of Orange

Beach Tennis
Members:
Our men’s player of the quarter is Jim and Jim now play on a 7.5 senior
Willis. He is 58 years old and is mar- combo team together. In 2008-2009 Linda Alewine & Sam
ried to Rosa. He was a graduate of their 7.5 senior combo team won the Tom Bagley
University of Houston sectional champion- Heather Moore
with a degree in Phar- ship. Jim also had Judy Jordan
macy. After living in the honors of playing Doug Jones
Jacksonville for 20 on a 3.5 doubles
Rhett & Amy Russell &
years, they moved to team that was ranked Family
Orange Beach in #1 in the state of Ala-
James A. Cole
2003 and are proud bama in 2001.
owners of Island Drug Kristi Woods
When off the court, DD Russo
and Gifts in Gulf
Jim enjoys spending Terri Long
Shores.
time at the beach and Michele Williams
Jim became more
serious about the doing a little fishing
Michelle & Bradley Shivers
sport of tennis in the Jim Willis and boating. They are & Family
early 1990’s , when a now proud grandpar- Debbie Holder
good friend of his by the name of Red ents of 9 ½ grandchildren. Jim & Rosa Willis
Wilder inspired him to play. Red is a Farrah Keel
tennis legend in North Alabama. He Steve Worley
Christine Slaughter

USTA Rule of Tennis: Calling a “Let” Donna Russell

Deborah Sanders
Who may call a let? Only a player may call a let Carolyn Kettelson
on their own court. Tim Arant
Tina Stephens
Carol Adams

Pro Tip from Rhett Russell:

TENNIS IS A MOVING EXPERIENCE
In order to be a good tennis player, you
must be able to move your feet.
Whether playing singles or doubles,
good foot work is crucial to get to
where you need to be positioned on the
court, to get to the ball, alleviate
nerves, and to make slight adjustments
for balancing before you hit the ball.
On average, C players (2.0 and 2.5
NTRP) move their feet 2-4 steps in
between shots. B players (3.0 and
3.5 NTRP) move their feet 4-6 steps
in between shots. A players (4.0 and
4.5 NTRP) usually average 6-8 steps
in between shots. Top level college
players take 8-10 steps. ATP and
WTA players average 10-12 steps in
between shots.
Paula & Ed McLeod
Cheryl & Dan Scarbrough
Angie Sessel & Family
Coman Tiebreak
The Coman tiebreak is
identical to the regular
tiebreak except that the
players change ends after
the 1st point and then
after every 4 points.

By improving your foot movement, you Switch sides after points,

will become a better, more active, and
more aggressive tennis player on the
court.
1, 5, 9, 13, 17……
In doubles, the server will
always serve from the
same end of the court.

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 PAGE 4
Local League USTA Winners in the area
2.5 Orange Beach -- Farrah Keel, Captain; Deb-
orah Sanders, Ali Jennings, Jennifer Burgess,
Jennifer Wilson, Heather Moore, Cynthia White,
April Vasko-Norton, Angel Lanier, Terri Long
3.0 Orange Beach -- Rose Townsend,
Michelle Shivers, Perry Benton, Char-
lene Allison, Paige Ellison-Smith,
Kathleen Keane, Suzette Taylor, Julie
Boles, Linda Childers, Traci Mason,
Jennifer Scarbrough, Tammy Loper,
Lisa McFatter, Brenda Langston, non-
playing captain Beverly Billingsley
Support Local Tournaments and Socials
Support the local Tournaments and socials in the
Orange Beach, Peninsula and Gulf Shores tennis
centers. See dates below for upcoming tourna-
ments.
Orange Beach Tennis Center
upcoming Socials:
Friday July 17, 2009 at 6pm
Friday August 14, 2009 at 6pm
USTA Adult & Junior Tournaments Listed below. For more
information on additional tournaments go to www.usta.com.
July 9th -- Wynlakes Open - Adult Tournament---Montgomery,
AL
July 11th --- Southern Open Championships -Junior Tourna-
ment---Pelham Racquet Club, Pelham, AL
July 17th-- Alabama Jr State Closed - Junior Tourna-
ment---Lagoon Park, Montgomery, AL
July 24th---Inverness NTRP Chps - Adult Tourna-
ment---Inverness Racqt Club, Birmingham, AL
July 24th--- 1st Annual City of Gulf Shores Summer
Slam,- Junior Tournament --- Gulf Shores
July 31st-- Samford Summer Classic - Junior Tour-
nament---Samford University, Birmingham, AL
August 6th-- Hoover Jr Invitational - Junior Tournament---
Hoover Country Club, Birmingham, AL
August 6th-- Alabama State Closed - Adult Tournament ---
Pelham Tennis Center, Pelham, AL
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NEWSLETTER TITL E
3.5 Gulf Shores-- Cheslie Larkin & Sheri Hicks,
Captains; Cindy Harden, Joannah Martin,
Marilyn Booker, Vicki McKee, Vickie Johnston,
Dyan Fentriss, Eva McDuffie, Donna Russell,
Pamela Livingston, Sara Brown
3.5 Orange Beach-- DD Russo, Cap-
tain; Barbara Frerman, Michelle
Fountain, Monica Davidson, Susan
Andrews, Kristi Woods, Michele Wil-
liams, Jane Rivers, Debbie Holder,
Bridget Van Aller, Marie Knight, Lisa
Kimbrough, Rose Townsend
Congratulations to local players
advancing to USTA Regionals on
Pensacola Teams:
3.0 Women-Rose Townsend, Traci Mason, Linda
Childers, Perry Benton, Kathy Keane
4.0 Women—Beverly Billingsley
4.5 Women-Pattie Adams, Beverly Billingsley
Regionals in Tallahassee, FL July 10-12
Sectionals in Daytona, FL August 7-9
August 7th ---Bayou Bluff Adult Tournament---Bayou Bluff, MS
August 20th-- Alabama State Closed - Adult Tournament---Pelham
Racquet Club, Pelham, AL
August 21st-- Montgomery City Championships -Adult tournament--
--Lagoon Park, Montgomery, AL
August 21st-- USTA Jr Team Southern Championships - Jr
Tournament--Mobile Tennis Ctr , Mobile,
August 28th-- Willie "Sleepy" Burns Labor Day Classic
(Adults & Juniors Levels) Mobile Academy,
September 4th--7th Annual Orange Beach Adult Tennis -
Adult Tournament--- Orange Beach, AL
September 11th-- Heron Lakes Academy Fall Tournament- Jr Tour-
nament---Heron Lakes CC, Mobile
September 18th-- Alabama Junior State Fall Hardcourt Open - Jun-
ior Tournament----Mobile, AL
 Congrats to the 3.5 Senior & Adult Friends of Orange Beach
Gulf Shores Women’s Team in advanc- Tennis Members Birthdays
for July, August and
ing to Southern Sectionals!!!!!!!! September:
3.5 Senior Women Gulf Shores- In May, Cindy Key (nonplaying Jennifer Scarbrough July 20
captain) took this team to Senior State Championship in Pel- Jonathon Shannon July 26
ham. The team was undefeated out of 20 teams. They will ad- Donna Russell July 30
vance to the 2009 League Southern Sectional Championship in Owen Shivers August 2
Birmingham July 30 -August 1. Team Members: Cindy Key - non- Lisa McFatter August 7
playing Captain, Debbie Holder, Monica Davidson, Janet Asher, Monica Davidson August 8
Julie Roark, Barb Frerman, Jane Rivers, Carol Nonnenmann, Tim Arant August 9
Susan Andrews Diane Duffie August 9
3.5 Adult Women Gulf Shores- In June, the Adult 3.5 Gulf Dave Brown August 24
Shores team advanced to State championship in Mobile, AL to Mark Shannon August 25
compete against 30 other teams. These 30 teams were divided Michele Williams August 26
into 5 groups in order to play a round robin within their group. Linda Alewine August 29
The Gulf Shores women were undefeated in their group (4-0). Carolyn Kettelson August 30
The days were hot with 2 scheduled matches a day. After win- Barbara Ybarra September 1
ning their group, quarterfinals and semifinals. The finals were Dave Lewis September 2
immediate. Gulf Shores was defeated by a Birmingham (3-2). Adam Shivers September 2
Although they were finalist, the competition was not over yet. Braiden Scarbrough September 4
The Gulf Shores team received a wildcard that will allow them to Paula McLeod September 10
advance to the 2009 USTA League Southern Sectional Champi- Jimmy Steeley September 15
onship in Birmingham July 25-28. Team Members: Cheslie Laura Elliott September 16
Larkin, Captain; Sheri Hicks, Co-Captain; Cindy Harden, Joannah Kelli Billups September 21
Martin, Marilyn Booker, Vicki McKee, Eva McDuffie, Donna Rus-
sell, Vicki Johnston, Dyan Fentriss, Pam Livingston, Sara Brown

1 hour with Ball Machine

FREE
Friends of Orange Beach Tennis
Present coupon to front desk.
OBTC 251-974-6387
Expiration Date: 09/30/09
Friends of Orange Beach Tennis
Mission Statement:
We are a non-profit organization
Raffle Ticket
12/31/2009

founded in 2009 with the sole purpose

of promoting tennis by partnering with
1 hour Free Lesson with Rhett Russell community groups and city agencies to
Expiration Date:

Friends of Orange Beach Tennis promote youth, adult and senior tour-
Drop this ticket off at the OBTC naments and events to encourage par-
Drawing held October 1, 2009 ticipation in the sport.

5
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 PAGE 6

Thank you to our Sponsors for Making the new Canopy’s and
other events Possible:

The Orthopaedic Group P.C. : Dr. L Dean Mason II, MD

Three Palms Real Estate:

Anita Elisar, Realtor 251.980.Palm

Island Drug & Gifts: Jim & Rosa Willis 251.967.1100